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‘Gone With the Wind’ Actress Olivia De Havilland Dies at 104
Rest in peace. Hollywood golden age actress Olivia de Havilland died on Sunday, July 26. The starlet, who was best known for her role in the classic film Gone With The Wind, was 104 years old.
Olivia died of natural causes at her home in Paris, publicist Lisa Goldberg confirmed to the Hollywood Reporter.
The British-American star was known as one of last surviving members of the golden age of Hollywood and starred in 49 films throughout her career and was one of the leading actresses of her time.
Olivia was born on July 1, 1916, in Tokyo to English professor Walter de Havilland and actress Lilian Fontaine. She is the older sister of actress Joan Fontaine, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 96. Fontaine was also a golden age actress known for her role the 1941 Alfred Hitchcock film, Suspicion. The girls’ parents divorced when they were toddlers, and they moved with their mother to Northern California.
When Olivia was 19 years old, she was spotted by a talent scout during a school production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” according to Variety. She was hired as an understudy in the Hollywood Bowl staging of the Shakespearean classic directed by Max Reinhardt. After the actress who played Hermia left the production, Olivia earned the role. She later reprised the role in the 1935 film version of the play, also directed by Reinhardt. That was her big break and led to a seven-year contract with Warner Bros.
In 1939, she earned the role as Melanie Hamilton in Gone With the Wind. Her performance in the classic earned her a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She’s also known for her roles in adventure films like 1935’s Captain Blood and 1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Throughout her career, Olivia won several awards. She was nominated for four more Academy Awards and she won Best Actress awards for To Each His Own in 1947 and The Heiress in 1950.
In her personal life, Olivia was married twice. She wed screenwriter Marcus Goodrich in 1946. They welcomed son Benjamin Goodrich in 1949 and split in 1953. Benjamin later died in 1991. She went on to marry journalist Pierre Galante from 1955 to 1979. Olivia is survived by their daughter, Gisèle Galante, whom they welcomed in 1956.
